Concrete dam



C. A. P. TURNER.

CONCRETE DAM.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 23, Isls.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

ga QG Cl A. PI TURNER.

CONCRETE DAM.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.23, I9Ia.

Patented- Aug. 31,1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C. A-. P'. TURNER.

CONCRETE DAM.

Y APPLICATION FILED NOV.23, 1918. y l 1,85 1,583, y PatentedAug. 31, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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CONCRETE DAM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.23, 1918.

` Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

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CLAUDE A. P. TURNER, F MNNEAPLIS, MINNESOTA;

CONCRETE DAM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug.. 31

Y Application Ied November 23.' 1918. Serial No.- 263,855.l

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAUDE A. P. TUR- NER, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Concrete Dams, and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and

exact description thereof.

Heretofore such dams have been constructed upon walls supporting' cylindrical Fig. 3 is asimilar top plan View of` an` other columnl arrangement; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectionthereof.

Fig. 5 is a plan, view of a fragment of the flat plate reinforcement, all the lrods over one of the column piers for the sake of clearness being omitted except the rods' that form the mats-over the piers, and all such mats at the other piers being omitted. Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the slab betweenfthe piers on the line '6 6, Fig. 5. y

.Fig 7 is a vertical section on the line My improvement embodies independent @inclined column piers in place ofwalls heretofore vused, thesel piers supporting a flat Aplate face of wedge shape Vwhich increases in thickness from the top to the bottom, the

relative thickness of' this plate is such that the flat arch and dome resistance'of the concrete is combined with the plate action of the-reinforcement placed thereirn- The reinforcement contemplated is arranged to secure imitation of mathematical flat plate action to the extent that the relative thickness of the plate to the length of span per' mits.

The ratio of this thickness to the span is that ,of 1/6 to 1/15 as contrasted to 1/25 to 1/35 in Hat plate floors for which patents heretofore have been allowed the applicant and in the case of the relative thinness, arch and dome action is small.' The plate or, slab7 reinforcementis shown somewhat i diagrammatically, in Figs. 5 and, and it comprises beltsI 10 of parallel rods that extend in two directions through the slab from ynormal to the plate.

column pier to column pier, such being at right angles to each other and'lapping at' the piers and narrow belts llfof parallel rods, that likewise extend at right angles,

but'run obliquely or diagonally, and between, but not across the column4 piers. All

' these rods are carried through the zones or regions of tension in the slab and over substantially the entire area thereof and by'reason of the position and distribution of the cured.

Concentricwith each column pier, and in the tension zone of the'slab, I place a mat formed of two groups l2 ofcrossingrods forming rectangles that are placed with' their respective diameters forty-five degrees apartl and provide va supplemental framevwork that takesl part in the circumferential cantaliver action that occurs in'. the slab concentric with the columns.

rods the imitation of the characteristic ac-` tion of the mathematical flat plate is s e- The wedge shaped vslab on the up stream v face is marked S,- the pier column C, these .beinginclined and arranged approximately y These long inclined columns tend to bend by theirv own weight 'and to relieve them inclined struts P are t disposed normal thereto .to support them at intervals yand the down stream spillway face F is held in place and supported normal to itsI face .by the upper extremities of these same struts l?.

Where the bottom of the stream 1s rock,Y i

vsuitable footing excavations are made normal to the axes of the columns. Thecolumns are placed in parallel lines (see Fig. l) if the rock is hard but in diagonal or staggered arrangement in soft rock to secure the vreatest horizontal shearing resistance, ee Fig. 3). Where the foundation is clay, the footings are to-be tied together by reinforced ties or a solid mat as the nature ofthe bottom may demand following the customary practice in hollow dam con- .struction in this latter respect. The upper face is changed vin cross sec- 'tion' from 'a straight outline to curved outline downwardly and thickened. This provides a convenient' section for the emplacement of cut-off gates for the final closure of the structure and an arch that reaches from the foundationsto the .first line of inclined piers and shortensv the length ofthe upstream face.

The novelty of the structure lies in its utilization of the new principle outlined of combined dome and plate action in place of plain arch or beamoperation of the upper face made possible by the form of the face and manner of support. The fiat plate action is dueto the nature and disposition of' the reinforcement and the manner o'f support of the slab. Such reinforcement is in the form of mats of rods running crosswise in two. or more directions with substantial uniformity of distribution circumferentially in the top of the slab about the columns and,A extending approximately one quarter of the slab span therefrom, the reinforcement in the bottom being distributed substantially uniformly about the diagonal center of the panel, forming a mat of a diameter of approximately half the. distance between the columns about the diagonal center of the slab,'the area between the columns being substantially covered bythe reinforcement.

v.As shown bestin Fig. 7, the mats formed by the vgroups of rods, 12, are 1n the upper part of the slab, and lie over thepslab rods that run through the 'upper part of the slab at the columns, and thus reinforce the slab thereat, the slab rods and the rods, 12, thus providing the circumferentially extending reinforcement concentric with the column.v

The advantage of the' independent piers further lies in securing greater lateral dimensions than can be economically adopted.

in walls for resisting the thrust combined with the factthat the circular or Octagon Y form may be hooped so that great compressive resistance can be developed in relatively small areas.

f tudinally followingthe central plane of the column piers which is rigidlyconnec'ted to the skeleton 14 of'the bracing strut enabling the suspension of the column pier forms dii rect from the trusses and filling in the usual manner. The column truss 13, is-a Warren truss, and the connection of the latter ywith the skeleton 14 of the bracing strut is through the intermediary of the column hoops or bands 15 to vwhich both are riveted. The

upper strutstheA applicant proposes to uti- Thus lize .for the support of the face plate forms.

the column piers may bebuilt in advance of the plate which may afterward be cast following up the construction ofthe Vhave hereuntoset my hand.

piers. As shown, the llow throughl thelspillway is controlled by a gate 16 of usual construction at the crest of the dam, adjacent v which are suitable steps and platforms as usual.

What 'I claiin and desire to -secure United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a dam,` the combination of an inclined concrete slab lforming the upstream face, and inclinedl separated,slab supporting column piers, said slab having reinforcements extending over the columns and throughout the slab, between the columns,

and situated in the upper part ofthe slab at the columns, and in the lower part of the 'lor slab between columns, all 'such reinforcement being situated betweenthe upper and lower faces of the slab, and the ratio of slab thickness'to span between piersbeingpsuch as tov secure flat arch and ilat dome action.

2. A dam having for its upstreamface a pier-supported concrete slab comprising an arched portion at its bottom reaching upward fromthe foundation, and a fiat plate portion, reaching upward from said arched portion. i v 3./A dam having yfor its upstream face a concrete slab, and having lines of column piersnormal to the slab, said slab compris- I ing an arched portion at its bottom reaching from the foundation to the first line of piers,

and a flat plate portion reaching'upward from said arched portion.

4. In a dam, the combination of an in clined, concretev slab forining the upstream face and having reinforcement extending over the columns and throughout the slab,

per part of the slab at the columns, and vin the vlower partof the .slab between columns,

all such reinforcement ,being situated be-y tween the upper and the lower faces of the slab, and inclined separated,slab-reinforcing column piers of concrete having skeleton reinforcement with a primary member consisting ofa truss of the pier.

` 5. A dam having for its upstream face a concrete slab and having lines of column extending longitudinally piers normal to the slab, the lines of piers .being arranged instaggered relation and said vslab havingreinforcement extending over the columns and throughout the' slab, .between the columns7 and situated in the upper part ofthe slab at. the columns, and in the lower part of the slab between columns, all such reinforcement being situated between the upper and the lower faces of the slab.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing l.

lCLAUDEA. r. TURNER.'

10o between the columns, and situated in the up- 

